Patient's mental health suffered after hospital failed to give prescribed medication

A patient’s mental health suffered after a hospital in Lanarkshire failed to give them their prescribed medication.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) received a complaint from the patient’s child.

The patient had a “complex medical history” including depression for which they were on three types of antidepressants.

This had been noted when they were admitted to the hospital, but staff failed to provide the patient with their prescribed medication and failed to inform the family that it had not been given, leading to their mental health suffering.

In putting together its report, the SPSO took independent advice from a registered nurse.

It found that NHS Lanarkshire had “failed to deliver” services in relation to medicines, maintain adequate records, communicate appropriately, or “recognise the harm” done to the patient and undertake a review.

The board’s handling of the patient’s child’s complaint was also found not to have been handled in a “reasonable way,” with consideration not given to the impact of the patient’s medication being withheld.

As part of its recommendations, the ombudsman asked the board to apologise.

It also recommended that records should “appropriately document” action to ensure prescribed medication is delivered and that when an adverse event occurs, there is a “thorough review”.

Russell Coulthard, NHS Lanarkshire director of acute services, said: “We have fully accepted the recommendations within the Ombudsman’s report, which have been shared with staff.

“We have also written to the family offering our sympathies and our apologies.”